More and more cities are standing up to Big Plastic. Yesterday (Nov 10) Baltimore’s city council became the first city council on the East Coast to approve such a ban. Like California, the Maryland city noticed the environmental toll plastic bag litter was taking on its waterways in particular.

According to Council President Bernard C. Young, "I decided the best course of action was an outright ban. The research is clear: We know that reducing our usage of plastic bags has a direct impact on the health of our waterways. For me, the choice is clear."

Despite the plastic industry’s best efforts to overturn CAs bag ban, other states and local jurisdictions are following the ban model. While California is the first state to enact such a measure, Chicago, Seattle and Portland have passed similar bans.